Global Observations of the Interstellar Interaction from the Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX)

• DOI: 10.1126/science.1180906
• Publication Date: 2009-10-16T01:29:57Z
• Authors: D. J. McComas; F. Allegrini; P. Bochsler; M. Bzowski; E. R. Christian; G. B. Crew; R. DeMajistre; H. Fahr; H. Fichtner; P. C. Frisch; H. O. Funsten; S. A. Fuselier; G. Gloeckler; M. Gruntman; J. Heerikhuisen; V. Izmodenov; P. Janzen; P. Knappenberger; S. Krimigis; H. Kucharek; M. Lee; G. Livadiotis; S. Livi; R. J. MacDowall; D. Mitchell; E. Möbius; T. Moore; N. V. Pogorelov; D. Reisenfeld; E. Roelof; L. Saul; N. A. Schwadron; P. W. Valek; R. Vanderspek; P. Wurz; G. P. Zank
• Keywords: Heliosphere; Energetic neutral atom; Interplanetary medium

The Sun moves through the local interstellar medium, continuously emitting ionized, supersonic solar wind plasma and carving out a cavity in space called heliosphere. recently launched Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) spacecraft has completed its first all-sky maps of interaction at edge heliosphere by imaging energetic neutral atoms (ENAs) emanating from this region. We found bright ribbon ENA emission, unpredicted prior models or theories, that may be ordered magnetic field interacting with This is superposed on globally distributed flux variations both structure direction motion medium. Our results indicate external galactic environment strongly imprints